Gottlob honold



G. HONOLD.

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR MOVING VEHICLES.

APPLICATKON FILED JUNE 7. 19I5.

*Patented Aug. 8, 1916 INVENTOI? ATTORNEY I w vented certain new UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

G-OTTLOB HONOLD, OF STUTTGARTy GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOSCH, OF STUTTGART,

FIRM or ROBERT GERMANY.

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR MOVING vnHIcLns.

Application filed June 7, 1915.

To ((ZZ 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that l, Go'r'rLoB HoNoLn, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and residing at Stuttgart, Germany, have inand useful Improvements in Lighting Systems for Moving Vehicles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to .which it appertains to make and use the same.

in lighting systems for moving vehicles such automobiles and motorboats, wherein an automatically regulated generator is driven. at varying speed by the engine, it is usual to provide an automatic voltage switch which connects the generator to, and disconnects it from, the circuit of thelamps when the voltage generated thereby has reached a predetermined value, which value generally equal to that of the storage battery in the system in order to prevent flow of current from the battery erator at other times, such as when the vehicle is at rest or is running at low speed. In such systems it is desirable at certain times to d1sconnect the battery from the system and supply the lamps from the generator alone, and in this case'the automatic voltage switch is not only unnecessary, but it is undesirable because it does not allow the generator to supply the lamps at less than full voltage; in other words, it cuts the generator off too soon when the vehicle is slowing down, a d cuts it in too late when the speed is rising, the result being that the lamps will be dark at unnecessary times or else the operator must frequently cut in the battery to keep the lights burning.

In accordance with my invention, a switch is provided for connecting the generator alone to the lamps without including the automatic voltage switch in the circuit, and preferably the switch is arranged also to cut in the battery alone or the battery in parallel with the generator and the automatic voltage switch. In this way, the operator has the facility for choosing the source of current supply for the lamps and for cutting the automatic voltage regulator out of circuit when the generator alone is used for lighting purposes.

The accompanying drawing illustrating Specification of Letters Patent.

V DB and ductor g.

to the gen- Patented \ug. 8, 1916.

Serial No. 32,776.

the preferred embodiment of my invention, is diagrammatic.

The direct current shunt wound generator a is self-regulating or is provided with regu lating adjuncts, and it is adapted to be driven by the internal combustion engine on an automobile or motorboat, or in any other suitable way. The generator has one terminal grounded at 03 and the other terminal 0 is connected to-the contact D of the multipoint rotary switch a. The storage battery 6 is likewise grounded and has its other terminal connected with the switch contact also with B by means of the con- The automatic voltage switch may be of any suitable kind, and, as shown, it has a movable core m excited by the shunt winding 0, which is permanently connected across the terminals of the generator. This winding is adjusted to pull up the core m until the series contact 70 engages the co operati e stationary contact n, when the voltage generated reaches a predetermined value substantially equal to the voltage of the battery and corresponding in some cases to a speed of 600 revolutions per minute of the engine; and the winding is also adjusted to permit the separation of the contacts 70, a, when the voltage of the generator falls to the value at which the battery starts to discharge into the generator. The automatic voltage switch is also provided with a series exciting winding 2' for assuredly holding the contacts 70, n in engagement when current flows from the generator, and also for assuredly bringing about the separation of the contacts 7s, m when current flows from the battery to the generator. The series exciting winding 2' is connected to the terminal 0 of the generator and through the cooperative series contacts is, n and the conduotor p to the switch contact db.

The switch 8 has two radially disposed conducting arms u. and o insulated from each other and supported by the member w, which,

together with the manually operated handle '2 is fastened on a switch stud. The annular The switch arm a is arranged to slide along the segment 9 and successively engage the switch contacts DB, D 'and B, whereas the contact arm a is arranged to slide along the segment 1 and engage the switch contact db when the arm it engages DB.

With the foregoing arrangement, the generator and battery may be connected in parallel to the lamps, the automatic voltage switch beingin circuit with the generator; or the generator alone may be connected to the lamps without the automatic voltage switch in circuit; or the battery. alone may be connected to the lamps. The ammeter g indicates the battery current flowing to the lamps when the battery alone is in circuit, or when it is connected in parallel with the generator, and it also indicates the generator current flowing to the lamps when the generator alone is connected in circuit.

In the position illustrated in the drawing,

current from the battery 6 flows to contact DB, and through the switch arm u, segment 9 and 'ammeter y to the lamps f, 7, f by way of the conductors t and t. The current then flows through the ground connection :0 to the other terminal of the battery. When the generator (4 is driven at high enough speed, the shunt exciting coil 0 closes the series contacts 7n, n, and current from the generator then flows through the conductor it, series exciting coil 1", contacts in, n,- conductor 3), switch contact (ZZ), switch arm a, segment 9' and conductor Z to supply the lamps in parallel with the battery. By turning the switch arm a to contact D, the battery, together with the automatic voltage switch, is cut out of circuit, and the generator alone then supplies the lamps through the ammeter y. Also, by turning the switch arm u to con' tact B, the generator, together with the automatic voltage switch, are cut out of circuit, and the battery alone then supplies the lamps through the ammeter 7 Furthermore, by turning the switch arm to the positionindicated by the broken line ()Q, the lamps are cut oil from both sources of current supply.

Thus it will be seen that whenever the battery and generator supply the lamps in par allel, the automatic voltage switch is connected in circuit and thereby prevents flow of current from the battery to the generator, which would otherwise occur when the vehicle is at rest or is starting up or slowing down. But when the generator alone supplies the lamps, the automatic-voltage switch is cut out of circuit, and therefore the lamps start to burn at a lower speed of the vehicle, anddo not go out until the speed of the vehicle isless than would otherwise occur.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim is:

1. In a. lighting system for moving vehi-' cles, a generator driven t varying speed,

an automatic voltage switch for the genera generator and the automatic switch are. con'-' nected to the lamps in parallel with the second source of current.

2. In a lighting'system for moving vehicles, a generator driven at varying speed,- an automaticvoltage switch for the generator, a battery, electric lamps, and circuit connections including a switch having one position in which the generator alone is connected to the lamps, and having a second position in which the generator and the automatic switch are connected to the lamps, and also having a third pesition in which the battery alone is connected to'the lamps.

3. In a lighting system for moving vehicles, a generator driven at varying speed, an automatic voltage switch for the generator, .a battery, electric lamps, and circuit connections including a switch having one position in which the battery alone is con nected to the lamps, and having a second position in whichthe generator alone is connected to the lamps, and also having a third position in which the generator and the automatic switch are connected to the lamps in parallel with the battery. u

t. In a lighting system "for moving vehicles. a generator driven at varying speed, an automatic voltage switch having a shunt exciting winding connected across the generator terminals and also having cooperative series contacts, a battery, electric lamps, and circuit connections including a switch having one position in which the generator alone is connected to the lamps and also having a second position in which the generator and the series contacts are connected to the lamps in parallel with the battery.

5. In a lighting system for moving vehicles, a generator driven at varying speed, an automatic voltage switch for the generator, a battery, electric lamps, and circuit connections including a switch having one position in which the generator is connected to the lamps and also havinga second posi tion in which the generator is connected to the lamps in parallel with the battery, said switch having an auxiliary arm arranged to'connect the automatic switch in circuit with the generator when the battery and generator are connected in parallel. -G. In alighting system for moving vehicles,'a generator driven et -varying speed, an automatic voltage sw tch for the generator, a battery, electric ramps, and circuit connectionslincluding a double-arm multipcint switch having one position in which one point connected to the battery and a second pointconnected to the generator through the automatic switch one point connected to the battery and a second point connected to the generator are connected in parallel to the lamps through the two arms of the switch, and having a second position in which a third point connected directly to the generator is connected to the lamps through one arm of the switch, and also having a" third position in which 9,

Copies of 311i: patent my be obtained for the cents each, by addressing the fourth point connected to the battery is connected to the lamps through onarm of the switch.

8. In a lighting system for moving vehicles, a generator driven at varyingspeed, an automatic voltage switch for the generator, a battery, electric lamps, an electric meter, and circuit connections by which the meter is connected in the circuit of the;bat-- tery alone when the battery alone supplies the lamps; and also when the lamps are supplied by the battery and generator in parallel, and also by which the meter is connected in the circuit of the generator when the generator alone supplies the lamps.

In testimony whereof I aifix'my signature,,in presence of two witnesses.

GOTTLOB HONOLD; Witnesses PAUL I \VoLFART, ADOLF LEBBENS.

commiuioner o! intents,

Washington, D. 0. 

